tribune.com.pk/No presence of IS militants in Pakistan, says interior minister

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar on Tuesday dismissed the presence of any Islamic State (IS) militants in the country.

“There is no presence of any group by this name in Pakistan,” Nisar said, while addressing the 18th Rangers Recruitment Parade in Karachi.

His statement comes a few days after Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani denied claims of the presence of IS militants on ground in the province.

“The letter regarding the activity of IS was routine information of officers which had been passed to the federal government. There was nothing serious about IS in Balochistan,” Durrani told The Express Tribune, referring to media reports that the provincial government had sent a report to the federal government and law enforcement agencies warning of increased footprints of IS in the province.

In response to a question regarding the tragic incident at Wagah Border on November 2, which killed 61 people and injured several others, Nisar said, “A joint investigation team (JIT) was formed. A report is expected soon which will also be made public.”

More than 7,000 people arrested during operation in Karachi

Nisar, while attending the parade, praised the efforts made by Rangers during the security operation in Karachi.

“For the past 14 months, more than 4,000 operations have taken place in Karachi and more than 7,000 have been arrested,” the interior minister said.

He also paid tribute to former DG Sindh General Rizwan Akhtar — now DG ISI — and Rangers in their efforts to eradicate militants.

Nisar further said that once arrests are made, there should be effective and thorough investigations or this operation would be ‘counterproductive’, adding that he wants to ensure that the common man in Karachi is safe.

Punjab govt takes action against pro-IS men

As pro-IS slogans appeared on walls in several areas of Lahore, Lahore DIG Operations Dr Haider Ashraf on Tuesday registered an FIR against unidentified persons for calling for support for the militant group.

Last night, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif ordered IG Punjab Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera to probe into the wall-chalkings around the city which led to the registration of the case today.

The case was registered under Section 153 in Nawab Town police station.

On the DIG’s orders, SP Saddar Division constituted a team to arrest those responsible. Earlier this month, the National Counter Terrorism Agency wrote to a dozen government agencies warning them to be on guard against the IS group.

“The successes of IS play a very dangerous, inspirational role in Pakistan, where more than 200 organisations are operational,” the agency said